Other People's Houses

by Abbi Waxman

Overview

“Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin

The author of The Garden of Small Beginnings returns with a hilarious and poignant new novel about four families, their neighborhood carpool, and the affair that changes everything.

At any given moment in other people's houses, you can find...repressed hopes and dreams...moments of unexpected joy...someone making love on the floor to a man who is most definitely not her husband...

*record scratch*

As the longtime local carpool mom, Frances Bloom is sometimes an unwilling witness to her neighbors' private lives. She knows her cousin is hiding her desire for another baby from her spouse, Bill Horton's wife is mysteriously missing, and now this...

After the shock of seeing Anne Porter in all her extramarital glory, Frances vows to stay in her own lane. But that's a notion easier said than done when Anne's husband throws her out a couple of days later. The repercussions of the affair reverberate through the four carpool families—and Frances finds herself navigating a moral minefield that could make or break a marriage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399587924
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	93,696
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Abbi Waxman, the author of The Garden of Small Beginnings, is a chocolate-loving, dog-loving woman who lives in Los Angeles and lies down as much as possible. She worked in advertising for many years, which is how she learned to write fiction. She has three daughters, three dogs, three cats, and one very patient husband.

Read an Excerpt

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Excerpted from "Other People's Houses"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Abbi Waxman.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Reading Group Guide

Readers guide for

Other People’s Houses

Discussion Questions

1. In this book the neighborhood plays an important role. What other situations create this kind of community, and how does seeing people every day change your relationship to them?
2. The central character, Frances Bloom, is someone who likes to help, because it makes her feel useful. Do you know someone like this? Do you find it easier to help or be helped?
3. Frances and Michael have a very happy but not very romantic marriage. Do you think that this will eventually drive them apart?
4. Anne Porter has an affair and nearly destroys her marriage. How important is sexual fidelity? Is it the most important element in a marriage? Can trust be rebuilt after a betrayal of this kind?
5. How much do children understand their parents’ marriage? How hard is it to maintain privacy in a relationship once you have children?
6. Sara and Iris are experiencing communication problems in their marriage, although it’s very strong. Have you gone through something similar, where communication breaks down for no apparent reason, and then becomes difficult to reopen?
7. Anne felt she was someone else in her affair, that it was something just for her. Ava also mentions a strong desire to be her own person, driving her own choices. How hard is it to balance a sense of self with responsibilities within a family?
8. Frances and Ava are navigating their changing relationship as Ava becomes more independent. Did you struggle against your parents or one parent in particular as you were becoming an adult? How do you think the experience of adolescence has changed since you were a teenager?
9. The title, Other People’s Houses, alludes to the impression one gets of someone just by looking at them. How much can you really tell about someone based on their home, or the way they dress? Is appearance an expression of character, or armor?
10. Bill and Julie Horton are dealing with a challenging time in a very private way. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of approaching it this way?

Editorial Reviews

02/26/2018
A spin-off of The Garden of Small Beginnings, Waxman’s fun sophomore novel stars consummate mom Frances Bloom, her family, and her neighbors—a “gaggle of middle-class white people”—and all of the comedy, drama, and quotidian details that make up their lives. Frances runs the carpool for her children and those of the Porter, Horton, and Carter-Gillespie families on her block, and is generally able to take everything in stride. But she’s knocked off her game when she enters the home of her neighbor, Anne Porter, to retrieve some forgotten craft supplies for Anne’s daughter, Kate, and discovers Anne on the floor with a man who is not her husband. The fallout provides the main dramatic push, but other threads include just where Bill Horton’s wife, Julie, has gone and whether Iris Carter will convince her wife, Sara Gillespie, to have another child. While Frances has her concerns, such as dealing with her 14-year-old daughter, Ava, she largely provides the story’s humor. Hilarious ruminations about child-rearing, shopping, and other parents give this broad appeal that should extend beyond fans of Waxman’s first novel. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Other People's Houses 
Named A Highly Anticipated Book for 2018 by InStyle online, Elite Daily, and Hello Giggles • One of Popsugar's “10 Books Your Favorite Celebrities Are Reading This Spring”

“We absolutely adored Abbi Waxman’s The Garden of Small Beginnings. And if it’s possible, we’re even more in love with her much-anticipated follow-up, Other People’s Houses. April’s book club pick is set in stone.”—Hello Giggles

“Meet your new favorite wry writer.”—The Daily Beast

“Hilarious ruminations about child-rearing, shopping, and other parents give [Other People's Houses] broad appeal that should extend beyond fans of Waxman's first novel.”—Publishers Weekly

“Once again, Waxman manages to take a far-reaching topic and sprinkle it with spicy dialogue, adorable kids, and characters who feel like best friends...Frances is equal parts warmth and snark as she considers her friends and neighbors through the lens of TMI. Recommend to those who like to turn pages quickly without sacrificing complex characters.”—Booklist

Praise for The Garden of Small Beginnings
As seen in Elle.com, The Washington Post, Woman’s World, Flavorwire, HelloGiggles, Bustle, Brit & Co, and more!
 
“Filled with characters you’ll love and wish you lived next door to in real life.”—Bustle
 
“Brilliant...Quirky yet very real characters sparkle on every page.”—Karen White, New York Times bestselling author
 
“A quirky, funny, and deeply thoughtful bookl.”—HelloGiggles
 
“A summer beach read with meat.”—Associated Press
 
“This is my favorite kind of book—hilarious, sad, joyful. Beautifully written. Fun. I dare you not to enjoy it.”—Julia Claiborne Johnson, author of Be Frank With Me
 
“A beautiful book full of humor, heart, and deep insight...Abbi Waxman’s quick wit and heart shine brightly throughout this debut novel. I just loved it!”—Molly Shannon, actress
 
“Funny and poignant. Guaranteed to make you laugh and cry. May make you want to play in dirt and grow a new life of your own.”—Wendy Wax, USA Today bestselling author of One Good Thing
 
“Full of wry humor and a cleareyed view of how life keeps offering good things...This debut begs for an encore from Waxman.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 
 
“[Waxman’s] narrative and dialog are drenched with spring showers of witty and irreverent humor.”—Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

2018-01-23
A charming yet provocative look at the close-knit Los Angeles neighborhood of Larchmont, where one woman's indiscretion forces everyone to re-examine their marriages. Frances Bloom drives a carpool of children, including her own three, to school each morning. This makes her privy to more personal information than most, but she is discreet—the ideal neighbor. One morning she knocks on her friend Anne's door, then enters, and is stunned to see what Anne is doing on the living room floor...and not with her husband! Frances keeps Anne's secret, but Anne's husband eventually finds out. His wrath scorches her, and the neighbors feel the effects. They face their own doubts and worries that perhaps their own marriages could be up for a similar fall—and they all have good reason. And the kids fear the breakups of their parents' marriages. Thus ensues a series of precautionary (mis)steps meant to shore up relationships, followed by conversations that serve to create as much doubt as they are intended to allay. Waxman (The Garden of Small Beginnings, 2017) is adept at creating sympathetic, believable characters. It's primarily Frances' gentle but tongue-in-cheek presence and subtle strength—along with her unique powers of expression, rich in original similes and metaphors—that carry readers along. The "Cast of Characters" and "Frances's Map of the Neighborhood" set the stage for a great read before the first chapter begins. This is a voyeuristic (in a nice way) and humorous trip through what is usually hidden behind closed doors.Waxman is a master at purveying the wry humor that rides just below the surface of even the tough times. An immensely enjoyable read.

Kirkus Reviews

04/15/2018
When Frances Bloom, the hoodie-wearing, slightly overweight neighborhood carpool mom/serial helper innocently walks in on her neighbor Anne in the throes of extramarital relations, she faces a predicament. Does she cover for Anne? Does she share what she knows when others inquire? How does she explain what's going on in Anne's newly fractured family to her own children, including her moody teenage daughter? And Frances and her husband haven't had sex in quite a while; could he be cheating, too? While Frances is the main protagonist in Waxman's latest novel (after The Garden of Small Beginnings), the author also tells the engaging stories of three other families in the carpool, featuring a winning cast of characters whom readers will quickly become involved with while enjoying witty musings and repartee that, fair warning, is heavily peppered with salty language. VERDICT Waxman is a gifted storyteller with an impressive talent for penning realistic dialog for adults and children: no easy feat. For fans of fast-moving contemporary humorous fiction about women and families. [See Prepub Alert, 10/22/17.]—Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ.Lib., NY

Library Journal

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